Anonymous wrote:OP Many people move from the city so that their children will have a more idyllic childhood. You can return to the city when they leave the nest -- although you might not want to do so.

My idyllic childhood was actually growing up in the city !

Where in the city did you live? Because just across western in CC Maryland is almost the same as living in most of Northwest. Or were you downtown or in DuPont or Georgetown? If that's the case - I hear ya. We left when our first was 2. I realized soon after we should've and could've stayed at least a few more years. Walking to parks and shopping etc is actually easier with a kid in a stroller versus the contact in and out of the car! We lived in an elevator building so maybe I am biased. Could not have done it as easily with lots of stairs! We had number 2 soon after and I still wish we were in the real city. I think by the time they are both in school and playing sports etc - I will appreciate the house and driveway but for now I miss walking everywhere.

You moved for your kids. Most ppl do. Accept it and move on

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Anonymous wrote:The area OP moved to isn't any more or less "suburban" than many areas within Washington itself.

I'm scratching my head here. Perhaps she meant moving from an apartment or rowhouse in Dupont or Mount Pleasant to a SFH on a quiet street? In that case you're really talking about a specific type of neighborhood vibe rather than city versus suburb.

Op here- you might be right. I used to live in Logan/DuPont and now in MD. To the other poster, about one mile to FH so a walk score more of 50 or so. I know not terrible but for me very different. I'm not complaining. I know how lucky I am. I'm just having a hard time with transition, not sure if I made the right choice, and looking for tips on helping me welcome this new life.

If you're a mile to FH, you really went whole hog on the suburban thing, didn't you? That puts you well into Chevy Chase or Bethesda, in some of the most expensive close-in suburbs of DC. Not to be an ass, but what did you expect? If you move someplace where the average home price is well north of a million dollars, in Chevy Chase, it's going to be quiet and suburban. That's why people are paying a ton of money to live there. It also takes a lot of billable hours to afford to live there, so you aren't going to have the kind of "hanging out on a Friday afternoon on the porch" that you would in the city.

Then just move back to your urban neighborhood. There is nothing worse than complainers. No one is keeping score or anything.

Anonymous wrote:The area OP moved to isn't any more or less "suburban" than many areas within Washington itself.

I'm scratching my head here. Perhaps she meant moving from an apartment or rowhouse in Dupont or Mount Pleasant to a SFH on a quiet street? In that case you're really talking about a specific type of neighborhood vibe rather than city versus suburb.

Op here- you might be right. I used to live in Logan/DuPont and now in MD. To the other poster, about one mile to FH so a walk score more of 50 or so. I know not terrible but for me very different. I'm not complaining. I know how lucky I am. I'm just having a hard time with transition, not sure if I made the right choice, and looking for tips on helping me welcome this new life.

Anonymous wrote:I lost you at the part where you described your neighborhood as the suburbs.

That hasn't been the suburbs since approximately 1965.

More like 1865.

Most of DC is practically suburban. If you are living right across the border in SS, then I suspect this is all in your head. The other side of the border in DC looks and feels like SS. You probably should have moved further out.

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Anonymous wrote:Thank you OP. It sounds like you are in one of the nicer suburbs but your post did make me feel slightly better about staying in DC. We have a 3 BR detached bungalow and a yard and the area is up-and-coming with new bars and restaurants opening, but there are shootings every week or so a few blocks away. We are past the free DC pre-school years and DH is making noises about moving before older DD hits HS. I know he is full of it because he hates commuting even more than I do.

Lovely. You couldn't pay me to live in that type of neighborhood, especially with kids.

+1 this is a dealbreaker, no amount of cool restaurants and bars could make up for this (and I live in the city)

Why are shootings a deal breaker but injury or death by auto accident isn't? I don't think the odds of either is particularly high.

If there were injuries or deaths by auto accident a few blocks away every week or so I would definitely be concerned. There aren't. Why would you deny there are DC neighborhoods where shootings are common or where the murder rate is increasing?

The area OP moved to isn't any more or less "suburban" than many areas within Washington itself.

I'm scratching my head here. Perhaps she meant moving from an apartment or rowhouse in Dupont or Mount Pleasant to a SFH on a quiet street? In that case you're really talking about a specific type of neighborhood vibe rather than city versus suburb.

OP Many people move from the city so that their children will have a more idyllic childhood. You can return to the city when they leave the nest -- although you might not want to do so.

Keep in mind, these "urban problems" don't plague all of DC.

We moved from MoCo to a nice, safe, leafy neighborhood in DC, and are pretty happy.

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Anonymous wrote:Thank you OP. It sounds like you are in one of the nicer suburbs but your post did make me feel slightly better about staying in DC. We have a 3 BR detached bungalow and a yard and the area is up-and-coming with new bars and restaurants opening, but there are shootings every week or so a few blocks away. We are past the free DC pre-school years and DH is making noises about moving before older DD hits HS. I know he is full of it because he hates commuting even more than I do.

Lovely. You couldn't pay me to live in that type of neighborhood, especially with kids.

+1 this is a dealbreaker, no amount of cool restaurants and bars could make up for this (and I live in the city)

Why are shootings a deal breaker but injury or death by auto accident isn't? I don't think the odds of either is particularly high.

It's not just shootings and the other violent crime. It's the drumbeat of constant problems. I'm too tired to get into it, but go to popville for examples. Just today we have two shootings, several sexual assaults, and someone getting pegged in the head with a slurpee while leaving Metro (followed by numerous commenters talking about the times they were randomly hit with things, ranging from rocks and bottles to fireworks). Also schools.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you OP. It sounds like you are in one of the nicer suburbs but your post did make me feel slightly better about staying in DC. We have a 3 BR detached bungalow and a yard and the area is up-and-coming with new bars and restaurants opening, but there are shootings every week or so a few blocks away. We are past the free DC pre-school years and DH is making noises about moving before older DD hits HS. I know he is full of it because he hates commuting even more than I do.

Lovely. You couldn't pay me to live in that type of neighborhood, especially with kids.

+1 this is a dealbreaker, no amount of cool restaurants and bars could make up for this (and I live in the city)

Why are shootings a deal breaker but injury or death by auto accident isn't? I don't think the odds of either is particularly high.

Anonymous wrote:I lost you at the part where you described your neighborhood as the suburbs.

That hasn't been the suburbs since approximately 1965.

+1